Preds in review: Pekka Rinne

To say Pekka Rinne had a career-year would be both true and false. Rinne did lead the NHL with 43 wins, seven more than the Predators franchise record set by Tomas Vokoun in 2005-06. He also led the league in saves (1,987), shots against (2,153), and appearances (43). By all standards, this was Rinne’s first year as a true workhorse goaltender, and he met expectations.

Some numbers were not quite as sterling as the previous year. His goals against average went up from 2.12 last season to 2.39 this year. His save percentage also dropped from .930 in 2010-11 to .923 in 2011-12. But he was under heavy fire early in the season, mostly due to a young Nashville lineup, still trying to find its way defensively. In his first 10 starts, Rinne saw over 30 shots in seven of 10 games.

On Nov. 3, 2011 — his 29th birthday — Rinne signed the largest contract in team history, a 7-year $49 million deal. He then shut out the Phoenix Coyotes that night.

Against Detroit in the first round of the playoffs, Rinne was the Predators main reason for winning that series in five games. He stopped 151 of 160 shots and had a 1.81 goals against average.

Against the Coyotes in the Western Conference semifinal, Rinne allowed just three goals in the final three games — the Predators needed wins in all contests — but ended up 1-2 in those games. In that five-game series, he had a save percentage over .900 just twice.